Missing melody

Do you like melodious songs?

Listening to good music is one of the best ways to relax or de-stress. It helps in lifting our mood and enjoy the pleasant atmosphere it creates in the immediate surroundings.

Perhaps that is the reason, why in India lyrics and melody are much more cherished, be it classical, semi-classical or film music. We still love to hear the melodious songs of evergreen singers such as Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar. It has been 35 years since Mohammed Rafi passed away, while Kishore Kumar left this mortal world over three decades ago. 

Similarly, the Queen of Indian film music, Lata Mangeshkar, has not recorded a new song for years. Yet their songs are still popular with the masses.

But in recent times, rapper Honey Singh has become very popular. In fact, he even claims to be changing the music industry of Bollywood. He has attracted many children and adults alike, who have become a fan of him. 

Many of my friends too claim to be big fans of him. They consider Honey Singh the best singer of Bollywood and say that no movie can be a hit without a rap in it. They also believe that this is the future of Indian music and raps will continue forever.

But I don’t think that rap music can last longer, simply because it doesn’t help in de-stressing. Instead it causes stress sometimes. I still remember a popular rap song, “Meri Laundry ka Ek Bill” from Farhan Akhtar’s movie, “Rock On.” It was the first time I had heard an Indian rap song, yet I did not like it as it neither had good lyrics nor melody. I cannot understand why anyone would be interested in someone losing his laundry bill.

Someone may say that I do not like raps because I grew up listening to melodious songs. Whatever be the reason, I hope that it is just a passing phase and that the era of melodious music will return soon.

(Published in The Gulf Today on April 4, 2015)